Mount Tarawera

On the 10th of June 1886, Mount Tarawera awoke with a roar.

His eruption was one of the most violent and most devastating volcanic eruptions of all time, blowing out the bed of Lake Rotomahana, burying Maori villages under a deep layer of mud, stones and ash, and changing the face of this region forever.

Your Thermal Wonderland tour takes you right over the 6-kilometre chasm that is the mountains crater, and all around the utterly beautiful results of its eruption: impressive lakes, highly-active thermal areas and the awe-inspiring Tarawera Falls. Learn the cultural significance of Mount Tarawera and see why this mountain is one of the most sacred Maori areas in the entire country. View the site where the official 8th wonder of the world - the Pink and White Terraces -was lost forever to the eruption. This volcanic, historic and cultural trail of discovery concludes with a beautiful return flight along the Bay of Plenty coastline.